Nov. 4, 2006
ATLANTA – Freshman Thaddeus Young scored 20 points to pace five players in double figures as 21st-ranked Georgia Tech defeated Morehouse, 96-52, in an exhibition on Saturday afternoon at Alexander Memorial Coliseum.
Sophomore Lewis Clinch scored 16 points, freshman Javaris Crittenton added 15, freshman Mouhammad Faye scored 11 and junior Jeremis Smith had 10. Tech’s first-year players accounted for 52 of the Yellow Jackets’ 96 points.
“It took them a little while to get started,” said Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt about his freshmen. “But once we got going, they showed some things, particularly offensively. Defensively, they know they need to improve. We got one defensive rebound between Thaddeus and Mouhammad Faye, and we need to do better than that if we’re going to be competitive.”
Young connected on 7-of-11 field goal attempts, including 2-of-5 form three-point range. Crittenton added eight assists and four steals.
Holding a 24-18 lead midway through the first half, the Yellow Jackets closed the period on a 23-4 run to take a 47-22 lead at intermission. Tech outscored Morehouse, 49-30, in the second half.
William Belton led all Morehouse players with 16 points on 7-for-20 shooting, and Jason Patterson added 10 points.
The Jackets shot 62.5% (33-56) from the floor, including a blistering 78.3% (18-23) in the second half. The Maroon Tigers shot just 32.8%, but outrebounded the Jackets, 35-34.
Georgia Tech forced 30 Morehouse turnovers and the Yellow Jackets had 17 steals.
Georgia Tech opens the regular season on Friday, Nov. 10, against Elon at 8 p.m.
